Leader's July Report (Norfolk County Council Liberal Democrats)

Norfolk County Council Liberal Democrats <info@norfolkcclibdems.org.uk>

Leader's July Report

August 1, 2010 12:00 AM

July 2010 was the month the Council came face to face with the harsh realities of the public expenditure cuts. The coalition Government's decision to make in-year reductions to the Area Based Grant meant the Council had to make savings of £10m to the 2010/11 budget. Make no mistake, this was a daunting task, but in choosing to make savage cuts to the Connexions service - reducing it by half - the ruling Tories took the easy option. We tabled an amendment at Council identifying alternative savings but to no avail. You can see the comments I made on my blog (July 27th) cllrpaulmorse@wordpress.com. Other Members in the group focused on what the service does (we are not convinced many Tories know), how employers benefit and the impact on rural areas. All to no avail.

The 'debate' about Connexions was a foretaste of the challenges ahead. Latest estimates are the Council will have to reduce expenditure by £155m in the 3 years starting April 2011. We will continue, where we seek fit, to offer alternatives - unlike Labour which just opposes without providing even a glimpse of what they would do instead.

Building Schools for the Future has been a separate casualty of Government Expenditure reductions. Whether all the new Academies agreed under Labour will get their capital funding will not be known until the spending review in the Autumn. The Coalition Government have introduced their own style of Academies - the same as the Grant Maintained Schools of the Thatcher/Major years basically - but thus far in Norfolk, only Martham Primary looks to be going for that status. We think it a crazy policy - socially divisive, no local accountability and it will create chaos in planning for school places, to name just three issues.

The in-year grant reductions referred to above led to the deferral or cancellation of £3.8m capital schemes related to roads and transport. Funding for the NDR scheme looks increasingly dodgy but there is no news on that yet.

The demise of Norwich's ambition to be a unitary Council has resulted in 13 by-elections (1 in each ward) to be held on 9th September. This will be the first test of the parties locally since the General Election and the formation of the Coalition Government.

One of the more positive features of July was the joint meeting between the Council's Cabinet scrutiny Committee and six of Norfolk's nine MPs. My concluding comments as Chair, said it all: it was very evident that the County's Mps were working together exceptionally closely, they were advocating for investment in Norfolk and all had a real passion for the County.